Extension ladders



Oct. 17, 1967 SKA ET AL $3,347,340

EXTENS ION LADDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1966 2L fi 0 6 2 W (22% w M3 QIJJJ 3 g qf INVENTORS W wflm 42 ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1967 HUSKA ETAL 3,347,340

EXTENS ION LADDERS Filed Jan. 20, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V WC 1N VENTOR.

W I WQ mm ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,347,340 EXTENSIGN LADDERS Harold W. I-Iuslra, Greenville, and James C. Redman, Hadley, Pa., assignors to R. D. Werner Co., Inc, Greenville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 521,972 9 Claims. (Cl. 182-267) This invention relates to extension ladders and relates more particularly to ladders of the so-called front loading type wherein a fly section is reciprocably moved or hoisted beyond the base section and extends the effective length thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide improved cable means and mounting therefor for use in hoisting the fly section of the ladder relative to the base section thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved hoist means and mounting therefor which will not impede and will leave the rungs of both ladder sections free during operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting for the hoist means utilizing portions of the extension ladder construction; as for example, the side rails and tubular rungs, as a part of the mounting means.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hoist which is simple in construction, composed of but few parts, relatively inexpensive in manufacture, easily assembled, highly eflicient in use, easily attached to one of the ladder sections and subject to quick detachment therefrom.

Further objects of this invention and the invention itself will become more readily apparent from a purview of the invention as set forth in the following description and appendeddrawings, in which drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side plan view of the base and fly sections of an extension ladder, portions being broken away for illustrative purposes, a portion of the hoist means and mounting being shown thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a front view similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating only the base section and showing, in part section and dotted lines, portions of the hoist means and mounting'therefor other than those shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the hoist means and mounting therefor taken from lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a for the hoist of FIGURES 1 to 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of a ferrule mounting member of the hoist assembly shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

Referring now to the drawings, in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, an ex tension ladder is generally indicated at which comprises a base section 20 and a fly section 40, the said sections consisting of a pair of spaced parallel side rails 21, 21 and 41, 41 respectively, which side rails are joined together by spaced tubular rungs 22, and 42 respectively. The open through rungs, as shown, project through aligned openings 23, 23, and 43, 43, respectively, in the side rails 21, 21 and 41, 41, respectively, and are secured by ferrule means 24, 24, and 44, 44, respectively, to the said side rails of the ladder sections.

The base and fly sections 20, 40 may be constructed of any material or combination of materials; such as, wood, plastic, metal, or other suitable material, and slidably attached in any preferred manner during operation to prevent forward and rearward separation of the sections during use or while hoisting.

The ladder as shown is preferably front loaded, as shown in co-pending application of James C. Redman et mounting bracket al., assigned to assignee of the present application, viz. Ser. No. 504,601, filed Oct. 24, 1965.

It will be apparent by reference to the application referred to above that the brackets used for slidably mounting the fly section on the base, and shown at 29, 29', are mounted on the upper end of the base section and on the lower end of the fly section, respectively. Each said guide bracket comprises a flat base portion 30, 30, rigidly secured as by rivets 31, 31 flatwise against the web 45, 45, of the side rail of its associated ladder section and each guide bracket terminates in a projecting hook end 46, 46', which is adapted to overlap a flange of one section and an adjacent flange of the other section.

Additionally thereto the fly section shown in this invention includes a guide member 49 preferably similarly formed to the guide brackets 29, 29'; although other forms might be employed. As shown the member 49 has a flat base portion 50 secured by rivets 51 to the web 45 of the fly section 40 and positioned above the lower guide bracket 29', on the fly section; a U-shaped hook 54 adapted to overlap a flange of one section and an adjacent flange of the other section, a flat leg 56 projects outwardly from the hook 54 oppositely to the leg 5'0 of the bracket 49 and such leg 56 is provided with an opening, which in the form illustrated, is shown as a generally V-shaped notch 55.

The hoist means of this invention and its mounting includes an endless cable or rope 60, the ends clamped together as by clips, etc. 61, 61, a loop or fastening device 62 depending from one end of the cable 60, similar to that disclosed in co-pending application of this inventor, Ser. No. 521,973, filed Jan. 20, 1966.

The cable of this invention however departs from the disclosure of the co'pendi'ng application, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 hereof; the cable travels externally of an outer side of the base side rail, through one of the upper tubular rungs of the base, over the outer face of a spaced opposite base side rail, through a relatively lower tubular rung of the base section. The detachable connection of the cable to the fly section is made, in the form illustrated, by looping the eye 62 of the cable over the notched portion 55 of the leg 56 of the guide member or bracket 49 secured to the outer side of the fly section, as best shown in FIGURE 1. A tubular insert or sleeve 70 is disposed interiorly on the opposite ends of the rungs of the base section through which the cable passes, or press-fitted within the said rungs and, in the form shown, are each provided with a collar 71 adapted to overlap the rung ends and outermost annulus 25 of the rung ferrule 24. The said sleeves or inserts 70 are preferably formed of nylon or other plastic material to eliminate cable wear and to space the cable passing through the rungs therefrom to facilitate easy movement therethrough when the fly section is hoisted. Such inserts also preferably are provided with a tubular conical portion 73 wherefor the insert 70' may be readily inserted within the rung but the portion adjacent its collar be of greater diameter wherefor the insert may be press-fitted or wedged into the rung opening to securely retain the same therein during use.

It is to be noted further that the sleeve inserts 70 shown herein are preferably provided with curved inner peripheral edges 72 surrounding the cable opening 74 in the same.

In the form shown the side rails of the base and fly sections of the ladder are channeled, of generally U- shape, and consist of a web 45 and opposite outwardly extending flanges 46, and preferably, the collars 71 of the sleeves or tubular inserts 70 are disposed inwardly of the outer edges of said flanges.

While this invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is obvious that numerous 3 and extensive departures may be made therefrom without, however, departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An extension ladder of the type described having a base section and a longitudinally slidable fly section, said base section having spaced tubular rungs connecting opposite side rails thereof, said ladder comprising an endless cable means carried by the base section externally of the base on both side rails thereof and by certain of the rungs, means adapted to detachably secure the said cable means to one side rail of the said fly section when said fly section is slidably mounted on said base section whereby said cable means is attached with respect to said one side rail of said fly section and is free running with respect to the other side rail of said fly section, the fly section being hoisted or lowered by the endless cable means carried by said base section and secured to the said fly section.

2. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said endless cable means comprises a rope joined adjacent its ends having a depending portion extending therefrom adapted to be detachably secured to means secured to the external side of the fly rail, said means overlapping a portion of one side of the base rail over which the cable is threaded.

3. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said cable means is threaded over the outer face of one of the side rails of the base section, through a certain of the tubular rungs thereof, over the outer face of an opposite side rail of the base section, and through a different tubular rung of the base section.

4. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 3 wherein the tubular rungs through which the cable means is threaded are provided with tubular inserts spacing the cable means threading through said rungs from the inner surfaces of the said rungs, and facilitating sliding movement of said cable means.

5. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 4 wherein the said tubular inserts are disposed at either end of the said tubular rungs.

6. An extension ladder of the type claimed in claim 2 wherein the said depending portion is provided with an eye and the said means on said fly section to which said cable is secured being provided with a generally horizontal leg having a downwardly open notch therein, said notch detachably receiving the eye of the depending portion.

7. An extension ladder of the type described having a base section and a longitudinally slidable fly section, said base section having spaced tubular rungs connecting opposite side rails thereof, said ladder comprising an endless cable means carried by the base section externally of the base on both side rails thereof and by certain of the rungs, means adapted to detachably secure the said cable' means to one side rail of the said fly section when said fly section is slidably mounted on said base section, the fly section being hoistered or lowered by the endless cable means carried by said base section and secured to the said fly section, said cable means being threaded over the outer face of one of the side rails of the base section, through a certain of the tubular rungs thereof, over the outer face of an opposite side rail of the base section, and through a different tubular rung of the base section, the base and fly sections having outwardly facing channelshaped side rails, the cable threading the web of the channels of the opposite side rails of the base section, the web of the channel-shaped side rail of the fly section having guide means secured thereto adjacent a lower end of the channeled rail of the fly section, and the depending extension of said cable detachably secured to the guide means on said fly section.

8. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the guide means mounted on the web of said fly section side rail has a portion projecting over adjacent flanges of the channels of both base and fly section and secures an extension of the cable therein during hoisting of the fly section of the ladder wherefor the fly section is slidably reciprocated relative to the base section.

9. An extension ladder as claimed in claim 7 wherefor further guide means are secured adjacent the upper end of the base section and secured adjacent the lower end of the fly sections to guide the said sections during reciprocating movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,250 12/1887 Bailey 182-208 2,890,824 6/1959 Derby 182202 3,208,554 9/1965 Arnold 1822l6 FOREIGN PATENTS 204,529 10/ 1923 Great Britain.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN EXTENSION LADDER OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED HAVING A BASE SECTION AND A LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE FLY SECTION, SAID BASE SECTION HAVING SPACED TUBULAR RUNGS CONNECTING OPPOSITE SIDE RAILS THEREOF, SAID LADDER COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CABLE MEANS CARRIED BY THE BASE SECTION EXTERNALLY OF THE BASE ON BOTH SIDE RAILS THEREOF AND BY CERTAIN OF THE RUNGS, MEANS ADAPTED TO DETACHABLY SECURE THE SAID CABLE MEANS TO ONE SIDE RAIL OF THE SAID FLY SECTION WHEN SAID FLY SECTION IS SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE SECTION WHEREBY SAID CABLE MEANS IS ATTACHED WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE SIDE RAIL OF SAID FLY SECTION AND IS FREE RUNNING WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER SIDE RAIL OF SAID FLY SECTION, THE SECTION BEING HOISTED OR LOWERED BY THE ENDLESS CABLE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BASE SECTION AND SECURED TO THE SAID FLY SECTION. 